This invention relates to a communication apparatus, and more particularly to a communication apparatus for performing a communication while effecting the transmission and reception of identification information with other communication apparatuses.
As a communication system incorporating communication apparatuses of the type described above, there has been proposed, for example, a vehicular communication system (see, for example, Patent Literatures 1 and 2) as shown in FIG. 8. As shown in FIG. 8, the vehicular communication system includes a plurality of function-containing connectors (hereinafter referred to as “e-connectors”) C1 to CN (serving as communication apparatuses) connected to one external communication line LC1.
Each of the e-connectors C1 to CN performs the transmission and reception of signals with the other e-connectors C1 to CN via the external communication line LC1, and controls the operations of a plurality of auxiliary equipments 11 to 1n, . . . , N1 to Nn. Each of the e-connectors C1 to CN includes a control unit 60 (comprising a CPU, etc.) for controlling the whole of the e-connector C1, . . . , CN.
In order to achieve the transmission and reception of signals in this construction in which the plurality of e-connectors C1 to CN are connected to the single external communication line LC1, IDs serving as identification information are set respectively in the e-connectors C1 to CN. Each of the e-connectors C1 to CN transmits signals, with transmission destination IDs and its own ID attached thereto, and also receives signals having its own ID attached thereto.
If the above IDs are not set, the e-connectors C1 to CN connected to the single external communication line LC1 can not properly transmit and receive the signals, and the setting of the IDs are indispensable. The setting of the IDs is effected, for example, by providing a group of internal switches SW in each e-connector C1, . . . , CN or by storing the IDs respectively in nonvolatile memories or the like of the e-connectors C1 to CN at the time of manufacturing these e-connectors.
However, when the e-connectors C1 to CN have the same appearance, these e-connectors can not be distinguished from one another, and therefore with the above ID setting method, there is a fear that the e-connectors are erroneously connected, and therefore can not be properly controlled, thus resulting in the defective product. In order to prevent such erroneous connection, it may be proposed to make the e-connectors C1 to CN different in shape from one another. In this case, however, it is necessary to prepare e-connectors C1 to CN of different shapes, and this is disadvantageous from the viewpoint of the cost.
[Patent Literature 1]JP-A-2005-276489[Patent Literature 2]JP-A-2003-127646